Contact us

If you need a little help or support, you'll find it here

Before you get in touch, you may find what you’re looking for here. All of the information you need to help you play online is available on our website.

Top questions

How do I play by Direct Debit?

Play EuroMillions, Lotto and Thunderball by Direct Debit by picking your numbers on the play slip and selecting 'Continuously by Direct Debit' under 'For how many weeks?'. Your Direct Debit tickets can be found in My games along with all other tickets. You can manage your Direct Debit in Direct Debit details and to edit a Direct Debit play slip, delete the existing one and add a new one with the new details.

Why can’t I play Instant Wins on my mobile or tablet?

You can play Instant Wins on mobile or tablet devices on the following operating systems and browsers:

Apple devices on iOS 6.1.3 operating system and above, using a Safari or Chrome v30 browser or above. iPhone 4 is not supported.

Android devices on Android 4.0 operating system and above, using a Chrome v30 browser or above.

To ensure you get the best experience, if your device doesn’t meet the above system requirements you won't be able to view the animation when playing a game. You can still buy the game but will be taken straight to the game outcome screen.

I've forgotten my sign in details, what can I do?

You can retrieve your username by confirming the email address linked to your account, your date of birth, postcode and the answer to your security question.

How do I claim my prize?

How you claim depends on how much you’ve won. If you play online, we’ll pay most prizes into your National Lottery account or bank account. For really big prizes you’ll need to give us a call.

Why am I not able to change my debit card?

You will be unable to change your debit card if:

you have some tickets still to be entered into draws

you have an unfinished Instant Win

you've recently changed your debit card

you've got an unclaimed prize waiting to be paid to your card

You will need to either wait for your tickets to be entered, finish your game or claim your prize, or try again later if you've already changed your card recently.

Help managing my account

I didn't receive an email when I tried to change my password.

The email will have been sent to your registered email address. If you no longer have access to this, give us a call.
It’s also worth checking your spam folder.

I've recently moved. How do I update my details?

Go to 'My account' where you can edit your personal details. Please note that if you've only just moved or changed your name, it will take some time for Experian, the credit agency we use to verify account data, to register the changes. You may have to come back and try again at a later date, but you can continue to play in the meantime.

Why do I receive a message saying I may already have an account when I try to create one?

Our systems allow players to create only one account. You might have entered details that match an existing account. You can retrieve your username and reset your password, or if this doesn't work, give us a call.

Help playing games

Where can I view my current tickets?

Find details and results of all draw-based games and Instant Wins you’ve played in the last 180 days in My games.

What's the deadline for entering a draw?

You need to buy your ticket by 7.30pm on the night of the draw.

Can I buy tickets while I’m out of the country?

You can’t buy tickets when you’re physically outside of the UK or Isle of Man, but you can buy tickets for draw-based games up to eight weeks (four weeks for EuroMillions) before you leave. You can also set up a Direct Debit to play continuously while you’re away.

How do I buy multiple tickets?

You can play, and save, up to seven lines of numbers (five lines for Lotto HotPicks) on each play slip and buy up to ten play slips at a time.

Help checking results

How do I check if I've won?

If you buy your tickets from a National Lottery retailer, go to Results then choose your game and enter your numbers. If you play online we'll check your numbers for you and email if you win.

How do I check my Lotto raffle numbers?

If you play online, we check all your numbers and let you know if you win. If you want to check your raffle numbers yourself, go to Lotto results and enter your numbers.

How do I check if I've won on a scratchcard?

All National Lottery retailers can scan your Scratchcard for you and at some Scratchcard only retailers, you can scan it yourself.

How much time do I have to claim my prize?

For draw-based games you have to claim within 180 days from the day after the relevant draw date.
For Instant Wins you have 180 days from the day after you bought your Instant Win to claim your prize.
For Scratchcards, it's 180 days from the day after the game closes.
Once the claim period expires, the money will go towards National Lottery Projects.
Find out more about how to claim your prize.

Changes to our website

As well as the different look and feel, there are a range of things that have changed on our new website. You can take a quick video tour or check out the details below:

Changes to playing online

One of the biggest changes you might notice is that our website is now optimised for mobile and tablet devices, so you get the same functionality and experience across all devices.

We've also introduced a new suite of Instant Wins specifically for mobile and tablet devices, and more will follow.

There’s also a clearer and easier navigation menu so you can see our range of games more easily.

Each online play slip is presented with three lines, but you can play up to seven lines of numbers (five lines for Lotto HotPicks) on each play slip by selecting the + Add line link. You can buy up to ten play slips at a time.

Play by Direct Debit

We've brought our Direct Debit service in line with common practice. To change your numbers or draw days, or add and remove lines once your Direct Debit is set up you need to delete your play slip and then add a new one with the changes. We use money that has already been collected to continue to buy tickets for your deleted play slip until it is spent. The new play slip will start from the next collection period.

You should contact your bank if you want to change the bank account that your Direct Debit comes out of.

A new Direct Debit will take between 2 to 4 weeks to set up. To be entered into draws while you wait for your Direct Debit to start, you'd need to buy tickets using the online play slip and choose the relevant number of weeks and draws. If it's your first time buying online tickets using the website, you'll be asked to enter debit card details and add money to your online account.

You can only have one Direct Debit, regardless of the number tickets you buy. It is no longer possible to use multiple bank accounts for multiple active Direct Debits.

If you cancel or delete a Direct Debit play slip, we will not take any more payments, but we will use any money that has already been collected to buy your tickets until it is spent.

Results checking changes

With a new navigation menu it's quick to get to results for your chosen game.

There's just one entry line on each Results Checker, but just select +Add line to add more.

Each time you check your numbers you’ll get more detailed results that highlight your wins clearly and show you the results for any draws where you didn't win.

The Frequency Checker is no longer available, but you can still view or download the results of draws for the last 180 days by visiting the draw history page for your chosen game.

Changes to account functionality

There’s a new tabbed navigation in My account making it simple to find the key functions. You can quickly access your full transaction history, or details of the games you’ve recently played, check results for your tickets and play your numbers again from an existing ticket.

If you want to close your account at any time, you can now do that in the account and password settings section of your account.

Information about playing in-store

Where can I find information about playing in-store?

If you buy tickets or scratchcards from your local National Lottery Retailier, there are a few useful and important documents:

What happens in-store if I win a prize?

When you give your winning ticket or scratchcard to a retailer, you should notice that the terminal (except till-point and handheld terminals at scratchcard-only retailers) will make a distinctive sound. Your retailer must also give you a Win Receipt for each winning ticket. When you receive your prize, the retailer will need to keep your ticket. If they cannot pay your prize, they should return the ticket along with a Win Receipt.
More information about how to claim.

Still need to get in touch?

By post

For general enquiries, write to us at:

The National Lottery PO Box 251 Watford WD18 9BR

For questions about lost, stolen or destroyed tickets or a prize payout, write to us at:

The National Lottery PO Box 287 Watford WD18 9TT

By phone

If you play online:

Call us on 0845 278 8000 from 8am – 8pm Monday to Saturday.

9am – 5pm Sunday

If you play in a shop:

Call us on 0845 9 100 000 during the following times:

9am – 8pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

9am – 5.30pm Monday and Thursday

9am – 3pm Sunday

By Minicom

If you are hearing impaired and have a Minicom device, please contact us on 0370 737 8 249 at the following times:

9am – 8pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

9am – 5:30pm Monday and Thursday

9am – 3pm Sunday

By email

For security purposes we can’t respond to account queries (such as resetting your password) by email.

Thunderball and Lotto HotPicks
In exceptional circumstances and depending on the number of winners overall and per prize category, prizes may be less than stated. See Game Procedures for details.

Results
Although every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information containing National Lottery results, Camelot UK Lotteries Limited cannot take any responsibility for any errors or omissions. Prize winning and all aspects of the National Lottery games are subject to Games Rules and Procedures.

Number of winners each week
Average number of winners and millionaires each week based on National Lottery prizes won throughout 2013.

Third party copyright notices
App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.